Hales and Billings were the problem today (for me).Hales makes lots of silly mistakes but gets away with it if he's scoring at 150% and taking the game away from people but he's not that player right now. He's one of the senior players in this squad but he's made 2 terrible decisions today.Billings is just poor, I just can't see how anyone can have watched him this season and thought he was anywhere near the ODI team, he's averaging about 5 for 2018, it's just bizarre that he's still involved.With the ball ( don't think we were terrible but, Willey just doesn't offer enough threat if he doesn't get early wickets, Plunkett has no variation so once a batsman picks him he gets very expensive and Wood, in my opinion, flatters to deceive, he's got something about him but it just doesn't translate into match winning performances.What the day as a whole shows is that were number one on the back of a core group of about 12-13 players. Once we start having to pick outside that we look a lot weaker.
Quote from: paul_e on June 10, 2018, 08:40:23 PMHales and Billings were the problem today (for me).Hales makes lots of silly mistakes but gets away with it if he's scoring at 150% and taking the game away from people but he's not that player right now. He's one of the senior players in this squad but he's made 2 terrible decisions today.Billings is just poor, I just can't see how anyone can have watched him this season and thought he was anywhere near the ODI team, he's averaging about 5 for 2018, it's just bizarre that he's still involved.With the ball ( don't think we were terrible but, Willey just doesn't offer enough threat if he doesn't get early wickets, Plunkett has no variation so once a batsman picks him he gets very expensive and Wood, in my opinion, flatters to deceive, he's got something about him but it just doesn't translate into match winning performances.What the day as a whole shows is that were number one on the back of a core group of about 12-13 players. Once we start having to pick outside that we look a lot weaker.Pretty embarrassing defeat, but not massively alarming in the grand scheme of things for England (brilliant for Scotland though and congrats to them). I think what today showed. is that the one thing the ODI side is missing in their armoury is that wily, medium pacer who can rein things in a bit in the middle overs using a bit of nous (Mullaney from Notts being a good example). You don’t always need one these days, but they are handy to have in the squad for certain conditions, particularly in this country and if Stokes is out then maybe we look at that option. Buttler, Stokes and Woakes have to come back into the side, with Hales / Roy, Billings and Wiley probably going out, so some big players still to return.
Jofra Archer would make a massive difference to the bowling attack, and it's only the ECB's own rules that prevent him from being selected. A guy with an English father who has committed to playing for England. Time for the ECB to rethink
Quote from: taylorsworkrate on June 10, 2018, 08:46:41 PMJofra Archer would make a massive difference to the bowling attack, and it's only the ECB's own rules that prevent him from being selected. A guy with an English father who has committed to playing for England. Time for the ECB to rethinkPer BBC yesterdayThey are having a rethink and are considering dropping the time to 4 years, which would make Archer eligible for WC2019However, Morgan has apparently dismissed out of hand the possibility of selecting him. That seems an inappropriate statement for the captain to make.If Archer is eligible and is better than players in the squad, then he should play.I'd certainly prefer to see Archer bowling in the World Cup than witness whatever Willey was trying to do yesterday.
This is a much better performance, my slight concern is how things will change once Ali and Rashid are bowled out.
Not the best of starts.
Root seems to play with much more freedom in white ball Cricket. I think the pressure of test captaincy is affecting him.